Apple is planning to launch a new trade-in program later this month in an effort to increase the number of customers upgrading to the most recent iPhone, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the situation.
Bloomberg reports that Apple will partner with Brightstar Corp, the wireless distributor that it has worked with for trade-in promotions on products sold by AT&T and T-Mobile. The new program may also help Apple's overseas expansion since the company could resell the devices abroad, according to the report.
This would mark the first time that Apple has introduced a trade-in program, though Apple does already offer a recycling program online that lets customers trade in older gadgets like the iPhone 4s in exchange for a gift card.
"They've always positioned [the program] as a sustainability initiative as opposed to a marketing initiative," Israel Ganot, CEO of the popular electronics trade-in service Gazelle, told Mashable about how the new program differs from the recycling program. "What's new here is that it's going to be done in store."
Ganot believes that part of the reason Apple is launching the program now is because it's coming to the end of a long product innovation cycle and wants to "clear the shelf" of iPhone 5 devices "in anticipation" of the next model to be released in September or October.
"It's a great way for Apple to get their best customers to upgrade more frequently and more affordably by providing a credit for the old device that they wouldn't use anyway," Ganot said.
Bloomberg did not provide details about how much the trade-in program might offer customers towards an iPhone upgrade.
Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
Article is originaly published at Mashable
Image courtesy of Flickr, Sean MacEntee
Bloomberg reports that Apple will partner with Brightstar Corp, the wireless distributor that it has worked with for trade-in promotions on products sold by AT&T and T-Mobile. The new program may also help Apple's overseas expansion since the company could resell the devices abroad, according to the report.
"They've always positioned [the program] as a sustainability initiative as opposed to a marketing initiative," Israel Ganot, CEO of the popular electronics trade-in service Gazelle, told Mashable about how the new program differs from the recycling program. "What's new here is that it's going to be done in store."
Ganot believes that part of the reason Apple is launching the program now is because it's coming to the end of a long product innovation cycle and wants to "clear the shelf" of iPhone 5 devices "in anticipation" of the next model to be released in September or October.
"It's a great way for Apple to get their best customers to upgrade more frequently and more affordably by providing a credit for the old device that they wouldn't use anyway," Ganot said.
Bloomberg did not provide details about how much the trade-in program might offer customers towards an iPhone upgrade.
Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
Article is originaly published at Mashable
Image courtesy of Flickr, Sean MacEntee
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